ARMED police officers and eight police cars were called to an incident in Southtown in which a 23-year-old female received serious head injuries.The driveway leading up to the block of flats in Southtown Road was cordoned off with police tape, but the road itself was not closed to rush hour traffic as the incident unfolded shortly after 5pm today.

ARMED police officers and eight police cars were called to an incident in Southtown in which a 23-year-old female received serious head injuries.

The driveway leading up to the block of flats in Southtown Road was cordoned off with police tape, but the road itself was not closed to rush hour traffic as the incident unfolded shortly after 5pm today.

As five or six officers stood guard near the police tape, armed officers and trained negotiators were inside involved in a stand off with two men who had barricaded themselves into two properties near Jet service station. Residents living in nearby properties were evacuated.

The female was being treated at the James Paget Hospital where her condition was described as serious.